Aboriginal leader calls for Govt to pull 'unviable' community funding

PM - Tuesday, 22 July , 2008 18:32:00

Reporter: David Weber

MARK COLVIN: An Aboriginal leader in Western Australia's Kimberley region says Government should stop supporting Indigenous communities, which aren't viable.

The WA Coroner has called for Oombulgurri to be closed down if the remote community can't protect children from abuse fuelled by alcohol. The coroner investigated a series of deaths in the community and found that alcohol was having a devastating impact.

But the debate on the very future of Western Australia's remote communities is already in full swing.

David Weber reports.

DAVID WEBER: Alcohol restrictions were introduced at Fitzroy Crossing at the community's request. Indigenous leader, Joe Ross, says the ban has had a profoundly positive effect.

But Mr Ross says problems at communities like Oombulgurri are about more than just alcohol. He says they're also related to issues surrounding the viability of the community.

JOE ROSS: There should be some fundamental principles by which the decision to fund communities should be made.

That revolves around good leadership in the community, access to education and health services, specific framework both in governance and also law and order provided by the police, and access to the market economy for employment or economic development opportunities.

And if many communities can't fit that criteria I think we've got to, you know, as a whole community both black and white make decisions via which we do declare that some of these communities aren't viable and unsustainable.

DAVID WEBER: Those communities should be de-funded or closed down if they can't reach those benchmarks that you've just referred to?

JOE ROSS: I think their access to public funds … which could be much more efficiently and effectively spent in communities that are … could be sustainable in the principles that I said before.

As for closing them down, you know, there's infrastructure been established there for many years and if people have their own private incomes and monies to support it then, you know, it's totally up to them.

The Government doesn't have enough money in the pot to supply the amount of services and the demands that are put on the public purse.

And so a rationalisation process has to happen to ensure that we do create healthy and both socially and economic communities.

DAVID WEBER: Do you think that that is what is going to happen under the current federal and state governments?

JOE ROSS: I think it's a must. It's been a long time coming. The question of unsustainable communities has been something that's been lingering for a while.

DAVID WEBER: Mr Ross is on a national policy commission developing proposals to improve housing in remote communities.

He says continued funding for some communities encourages unrealistic hopes. Mr Ross says Oombulgurri was once a strong community.

JOE ROSS: Oombulgurri community was a great community once, and a very viable and sustainable community in the ATSIC (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission) framework. And I think what we're forgetting at times is the demise of ATSIC saw the crumbling of support services to those communities.

DAVID WEBER: The state's Indigenous Affairs Minister has said that while some communities may be deemed as unviable, the decision will not be made on size alone.

The WA Premier has said that communities can't be shut down if there's no alternative for residents.

The Greens Senator Rachel Siewert has criticised the Federal Government's decision to introduce income management to Oombulgurri, and other WA communities.

RACHEL SIEWERT: Very strong concern that this is still … this will be a failed approach. Unless the Government puts in a significant amount of effort working with community, dealing with the underlying causes, this punitive approach is not going to work, because there are very significant barriers that people in these communities are facing.

Imposing this punitive approach, I don't think is going to deliver the results.

DAVID WEBER: Senator Siewert says the viability of a community cannot be decided without consultation.

RACHEL SIEWERT: Certainly on some peoples' agendas is to close down these communities without consulting with the communities and finding out what the communities actually want to happen to their communities.

A top-down approach will not work. What we need to be doing is, the Government needs to be working with the community to start finding some community solutions to these problems.